1902 — Sep 9-15, Forest fires, NW OR, and esp. Clark and Cowlitz counties, SW WA-58-65
— 100s Tyrone Daily Herald, Tyrone, PA. “Hundreds Perished.” 9-17-1902, p. 1.[1]
— 65 Bartlett. “Some of the Worst Fires in Northwest History.” Northwest Public Radio, 7-21-2017.
— >65 Scott. “Remembering the 1902 Yacolt Burn.” ClarkCountyTalk, WA. Accessed 12-14-2017.
–58-65 Blanchard range.[2]
— 58 Blanchard tally of deaths noted below by State — OR (3) and WA (55).[3]
— 38 Caldbick, John. “Yacolt — Thumbnail History.” HistoryLink.org. 3-14-2010.
— 38 McClure. “Washington’s ‘Awful Conflagration’…Yacolt Fire of 1902.” Fire Mgmt.[4]
— 38 National Interagency Fire Center. Frequently Asked Questions.
— 38 Pesanti, D. “Forests: After The Big Burn.” Columbian.com. Accessed 11-25-2016.
— 38 Smalley, James C. (Ed.). Protecting Life and Property from Wildfire, 2005, 23.
— 38 Sullivan, William. Oregon’s Greatest Natural Disasters. Navillus Press, 2008, p. 181.[5]
— 35 Sue. “Wildfire History: The Yacolt Burn Forest Fire.” Wild West Weather, 2-20-2013.[6]
— 20 Bradford Daily, PA. “Along Lewis River.” 9-16-1902, p. 1.[7]
— 18 Blanchard tally of specific deaths noted below by locality.
Oregon ( 3)
— 1 Bridal Veil, Sep 12. Elsie Palmer, proprietor of the Palmer mill.[8]
— 1 Bridal Veil. Man named Trickey missing and presumed dead.[9]
— 2 Palmer, near Bridal Veil. Two Hamilton boys burned to death while trying to escape.[10]
Washington (55)
–56 Columbia River Gorge & Mt. St. Helens vic.[11] Courier-Herald, Enumclaw, 7-10-2015.[12]
–55 Blanchard estimate.[13]
–16 Clark County, Vancouver, Tyrone Daily Herald, PA. “Hundreds Perished.” 9-17-1902, 1.
–5 Sep 13 reporting. Near Vancouver (and one unknown woman in Vancouver).[14]
–3 Mrs. Hendrickson and two children.
–1 Mrs. August Myers.
–1 Female in Vancouver vicinity.[15]
–38 Cowlitz County, Kalama. Tyrone Daily Herald, PA. “Hundreds Perished.” 9-17-1902, 1.
— 9 Lewis River area,[16] Cowlitz County.[17]
–1 Mrs. Graves (or Garves).
–1 John Pollick.
–1 Brother of John Pollick.
–1 Son of John Pollick’s brother.
–1 Mr. D. L. Wallace.
–1 Boy, 12, last name of Hanley.
–1 Mrs. D. L. Wallace.
–2 Children of Mr. and Mrs. D. L. Wallace.
— 1 King County, Enumclaw, Baby of Mrs. Biles.[18]
Not including in tally, due to inability to verify:
— 4 Men working on James Hawthorne claim — missing and presumed dead.
–50-60 Skamania County. People camping at Mount St. Helens lake — missing.
Narrative Information
Scott: “….The Yacolt Burn was Washington’s largest forest fire until 2014 when the Carlton Complex in Okanogan burned 258,000 acres. With nearly 239,000 acres devastated, the Yacolt Burn is still the deadliest fire to hit the Evergreen State….On September 8, 1902, a series of fires ignited around the Columbia River Gorge from numerous sources. While the official start to the majority of the fires is a mystery, the multiple fires near Eagle Creek and Dodson on the Oregon side of the river quickly burned down the Columbia River Gorge, hopping over the river as strong winds from Eastern Washington pushed embers onto the dry timbers of Washington. The nearly dozen fires that were burning eventually joined on the Washington side of the Columbia, becoming what is now known as the Yacolt Burn. The series of fires linking together became an event that would long be talked about in the area. From September 8 until September 13, 1902 the flames caused unfathomable damage and terror to the majority of Southwest Washington.
“The fire, once becoming a tornado of flames and embers, traveled 30 miles in just 36 hours, destroying 238,920 acres of timber. Without today’s connectivity and communications abilities, people living in these regions stood no chance against the rapidly advancing fire. Due to the quickly traveling flames, at least 65 people lost their lives in both Washington and Oregon….” (Scott, Douglas. “Remembering the 1902 Yacolt Burn.” Clark County Talk, WA. 2017.)
Smalley: “On September 12, 1902, the Far West Fire in Yacoult, Washington, burned more than 1.2 million acres and killed 38 people. This fire resulted from a series of 110 or more large fires burning in western Washington and Oregon. The period of greatest spread occurred on September 12 and 13. This fire followed an extremely dry summer. Low humidity and moderate to strong winds were occurring at the time of the fire. The fire burned mostly in uncut Douglas fir timber but started in logging slash, which is the remains of a logging or thinning operation – that is, the remaining noncommercial-sized stems, limbs, twigs, small-diameter trees, bark, leaves, and needles.” (Smalley. Protecting Life and Property from Wildfire, 2005, 23.)
Wilma: “From September 11 to 13, 1902, the Yacolt Burn, the largest forest fire in recorded Washington history to that point (and for more than a century thereafter), destroys 238,920 acres — more than 370 square miles — and kills 38 people in Clark, Cowlitz, and Skamania counties [all WA counties]….” (Wilma, David. “Yacolt Burn…forest fire…beginning September 11, 1902.” HistoryLing.org Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History. 2-14-2003.)
Newspapers
Sep 9: “Oregon City, Ore., Sept. 9 — Extensive forest fires are destroying a large amount of property in this county. The fire ten miles from the city, between Shubel post-office and Clarke’s covers the county three miles across. It has been burning slowly for several days, and the strong north wind which spring up this afternoon spread it rapidly in a southerly direction, sweeping everything before it.” (Anaconda Standard, MT. “Forest Fires in Oregon.” 9-10-1902, p. 13.)
Sep 11: “Portland, Ore., Sept. 11. — Smoke from forest fires in the Cascade and Coast Ranges has become so thick along the Willamette and Columbia Rivers as to make navigation perilous. In the forenoon the smoke and fog together made it impossible to see clearly more than 100 yards, and steamers are compelled to run by the compass. This morning the fires came so near this city that a layer of ashes and cinders an eighth of an inch thick was spread over the entire city. The rires are raging in all directions, destroying many millions of feet of fine timber.
“Although the United States government has taken great precautions to guard against forest fires, it is said that, for twenty years, not so much timber has been destroyed in one season. In many cases, barns and houses isolated localities have been destroyed. There has been no rain for nearly two months and all vegetation has become so dry that a good rain-storm is the only thing that will stop the fires….” (Oakland Tribune, CA. “Pall of Smoke Hangs Over Portland.” 9-11-1902, p. 1.)
Sep 12: “Portland, Ore., Sept. 12 — Forest fires are burning over the Cascade and coast ranges from British Columbia to the California line, threatening towns, and destroying millions of feet of timber, many farmhouses, barns, and much live stock. Two persons are known to have lost their lives, others are missing, and scores are fleeing to places of safety. At Bridal Veil, Ore., today the palmer sawmill and the Brewer mill were burned. Elsie Palmer, proprietor of the Palmer mill, was burned to death and James Trickey is missing. Forty mill hands are in danger of being surrounded by fire….” (Chicago Tribune. “Fires Rage in Mountains. Forests of Northwest Ablaze and Towns Endangered.” 9-13-1902, p. 3.)
Sep 13, Anaconda Standard, MT: “Portland, Ore., Sept. 13. — A special to the Oregonian from Kalama, Wash., says: The forest fires on the Lewis river have destroyed five logging camps and the homes of more than a score of settlers. D. L. Wallace, wife and two children, Hanley’s 12-year-old boy and Mrs. Graves are known to have perished, and many campers are missing. The whole country above Etna has been wiped out.” (Anaconda Standard, MT. “Many Known to Have Perished.” 9-14-1902, p. 1.)
Sep 13, Fort Wayne Weekly Sentinel: “Portland, Ore., Sept 13. — The result of the forest fires, which are raging in this vicinity may be summed up substantially as follows up to the present time:
“Tillamook City has been saved from impending destruction by a change in the wind. The forests in Douglas and Jackson counties are on fire, but the damage is still small….
“Sixty people in the town of Springwater, Clackamas county, were forced to flee for their lives and rendered homeless and a fine timber belt destroyed. Bridges and fences were attacked and residences threatened. The saw mill of the Bridal Veil Lumber company and the town of Palmer, situated twenty miles east of Bridal Veil, in this county, has been destroyed.
“The damage in eastern Multnomah county amounts to $45,000, and every family has been fighting the fire since Monday. Three dwellings and the county bridge are gone in Pleasant valley. The flames surround the dwellings of a resident of Rockwood and are racing west along the base line road. To protect the town of Gresham men stand guard night and day. At Pleasant Home a house was destroyed and four mills re in danger. Fire companies were called out from Irvington. The fire departments of Portland have been on duty since 2 o’clock yesterday morning….
“The non-arrival of grain and coasting ships is due to dense smoke at the mouth of the Columbia river. The steamer Columbia is reported to be stranded in the river near Astoria.
“A woman was burned to death near Vancouver and a woman and a child are missing.
“Mills, lumber and timber to the value of $1,000,000 were destroyed in Chehalis county, Washington. The damage near Lenthor amounts to over $25,000….” (Fort Wayne Weekly Sentinel, IN. “Sweep of Flames Leaves Trail of Ruin in Washington and Oregon.” 9-17-1902, p. 13.)
Sep 13, Fort Wayne Weekly Sentinel: “Tacoma, Wash., Sept. 13 — Forest fires are now burning in every county of western Washington from British Columbia to the Columbia river. The conflagrations are the most extensive in Thurston, Chehalis[19] and Lewis counties to the southwest of Tacoma. The towns of Elma and Folsom in Chehalis county, have been partly destroyed. Each was the center of large logging, lumber and shingle mill industries….The latest reports from Mason county are that every portion of that county is in flames, with the exception of Shelton.
“The logging camps of the Bordeuy company, near Olympia, are surrounded by flames. Forty men have left here on horseback to rescue the women and children….Many farm houses about Enumclaw and throughout southwestern Washington, together with other farm properties, have been destroyed.
“At Enumclaw, Mrs. Biles was driven from home with her dead baby in her arms, while her husband was out fighting fire…” (Fort Wayne Weekly Sentinel, IN. “Great Area Fireswept.” 9-17-1902, p. 13.)
Sep 13, Helena Independent: “Vancouver, Wash., Sept. 13. — Fred Burlingame arrived here this afternoon from Yacolt, 30 miles north, and states that a terrific fire has been raging in that vicinity for the past two days. The fire, he says, is now burning in the big timber district north and east of Yacolt.
Surrounded by Fire.
“While assisting to fight the flames Burlingame became surrounded by fire and had to flee for his life. He was terribly burned about the head and face and upon arrival here was taken to a hospital. Twenty families have been rendered homeless by the terrible fire which burned over a large territory in that vicinity on Thursday and Friday.
Made a Clean Sweep.
“The fire was driven by a strong wind, which appeared to move with a circular motion and consumed everything in its path. Buildings and crops of all kinds and much live stock were destroyed. The fire was so fierce in one neighborhood that a number of families, unable to make their escape, plunged into Lacamas creek and lay in the water a greater portion of Thursday night in order to save their lives. The fire has now burned itself out in that vicinity and passed on to the north and east.
Losses Are Great.
“Conditions are believed to be much worse than yet reported in the burnt districts remote from telephone and telegraph communication and actual results will probably not be known for several days. Millions of feet of valuable timber have been destroyed in addition to an immense amount of farm property.
“It is reported to-night that the hotel buildings at St. Martin Springs have been burned.” (Helena Independent, MT. “The Experience of One Fire Fighter.” 9-14-1902, p. 1.)
Sep 13, Helena Independent: “Tacoma, Sept. 13 — Special dispatches to the Ledger from Olympia state that the forest fires in that vicinity have abated somewhat, and the atmosphere is much clearer. Small fires are burning along the logging roads near Shelton, but no damage of consequence has been done except the bursting of one or two small trestles. Trains are patrolling the tracks all the time to keep the fires under control. The state land commissioner has called in all of his cruisers until such time as it will be safe for them to again go into the woods.
“To the north and east of Aberdeen the greatest damage has been to timber on the upper Wishkaha river. Loggers estimate that on this stream and the Chehalis, at least one hundred million feet of timber has been burned. Tow of Polson Bros.’ camps, including twenty horses and outfits, have been destroyed. The great dam on the Hoquiam river caught fire last night and was destroyed. It is feared many loggers in that vicinity have perished.
“Dispatches to the Ledger from Elma say the danger in that vicinity has passed as the wind fell and the fires slowed down. About 100 families are homeless. Several persons are missing but no lives are known to have been lost. The fire in the Coweman country has swept all before it for twenty miles down the river and across the Kalama river. The men escaped death by lying in the river for several hours. The loggers in the J. B. Hill’s camp were awakened at midnight and fled for their lives, leaving everything to burn, and the camp was destroyed. Many houses have been burned and the loss is very heavy.” (Helena Independent, MT. “The Olympia District. Loss is Enormous But the Worst is Over.” 9-14-1902, p. 1.)
Sep 13, Helena Independent: “Oregon City, Ore., Sept 13 — Complete reports received from Springwater this afternoon say that the stores of W. J. Lewellen and J. F. Lovelace, the post-offices, grange and Macabee halls and the school house were saved….
“The loss is appalling and cannot be estimated. People are destitute, homeless and without money, food or clothing and have called for aid. All Thursday night [11th] and yesterday morning the fire raged fiercely following down Clear Creek and Clackamas river, crossing Springwater ridge and stopping at the upper edge of Viola. Logan and Viola were saved from destruction by the wind dying down. Fires in that section now checked and there is no danger unless the wind rises again. The damage was great in the Eagle creek section. Twenty-four places were entirely destroyed. Fires in the district near Shubel, Clarkes, Beaver creek and Moehnke settlements are now under control.” (Helena Independent, MT. “Farmers Burned Out. Damage Done in Oregon Will Reach a Large Figure.” 9-14-1902, p. 1.)
Sep 15: “Portland Ore., Sept. 15 — Driven from their homes in the darkness of the night by a raging forest fire which swept everything before it from Ariel, Cowlitz county, Wash., to the foot of Mount St. Helens, a distance of twenty-five miles, eleven people are dead, four are missing and over 200 people have been left homeless, many with not even enough clothes to cover themselves. The dead in Cowlitz county as far as known are: D. L. Wallace, wife and two children; twelve-year-old son of Mr. Hanley; John Pollick, his brother and child; W. E. Newhouse, and Mrs. Garves.
“Four men were working a claim belonging to James Hawthorne have not been found and it is thought they are dead. Some fifty or sixty people were camped at the lake at the foot of Mount St. Helens and have not been heard from since the fire. It is not known whether they escaped or not.
“The first news of the devastation was brought to this city by Milo M. Dimmick, who experienced many difficulties in making the trip to send aid to the sufferers. From the description the suffering there is great and the devastation is the most appalling of any that has been reported. For a stretch of twenty-five miles, he says, there are but two houses standing. The fine timber on which these people expected to realize has all been destroyed. The fire came upon them in the night and entirely unexpectedly. ‘I had scarcely time to get to the river myself,’ said Dimmick, ‘when the flames were upon me, and if I had tried to save anyone else we would not have gotten away.’” (Estherville Enterprise, IA. “Eleven People Die. Victims Unable to Escape from Forest Fires in Washington.” 9-17-1902. p. 2.)
Sep 15: “Portland, Ore., Sept 15 — About 300 people are left homeless in Multnomah and Clackamas counties, as a result of the forest fires that have raged for the past week.
“In the fire that destroyed to town of Palmer, near Bridal Veil, two boys named Hamilton were caught while trying to escape from the flames and burned to death.
“The timber loss is in Clackamas county have been immense and the whole length of the Clackamas river presents nothing but vistas of ruined settlements. The most distressing losses have been those suffered in the vicinity of Spring Water, Clackamas county and Lentz. There is no way of securing a correct estimate of the loss, but it will certainly exceed $1,000,000 in this state.” (Estherville Enterprise, IA. “Two Boys Perish.” 9-17-1902. p. 2.)
Sep 15: “Elma, Wash., Sept. 15 — Forest fires are raging over a large area of country east of Elma. Several large mills suffered more or less loss and some have been destroyed. The Star mill and village has been wiped out. Train-loads of refugees are arriving from the burning districts. Many houses and barns have been destroyed. A high wind favors the fire and gives in terrific velocity. Elma citizens are taking every precaution to save their homes.” (Estherville Enterprise, IA. “Fleeing For Safety. Trainloads of Refugees Arriving at Elma, Wash.” 9-17-1902. p. 2.)
Sep 17: “Portland Ore., Sept. 17 — The list of fire victims in Oregon and Washington number hundreds. In the vicinity of Kalama, Wash., 38 bodies have been found and around Vancouver, Wash., 16 are reported. In other districts the loss is proportionately heavy, while stories of farmers, woodsmen and campers missing are told.
“The property loss in the two states is estimated at $3,000,000, which does not include the vast tracts of timber of value, reaching into the millions. Hundreds of families, homeless and destitute, are camping on the blackened wastes.” (Tyrone Daily Herald, Tyrone, PA. “Hundreds Perished. List of Forest Fire Victims in Oregon and Washington Growing.” 9-17-1902, p. 1.)
Sep 18: “Washington, Sept. 18 — Special Agent Dixon of the general land office, Wednesday [17th] telegraphed from Seattle, Wash., that the forest fires in the state have abated, according to the most reliable information….” (Centralia Daily Sentinel, IL. “Abating in Washington.” 9-18-1902, p. 1.)
Sources
Anaconda Standard, MT. “Forest Fires in Oregon.” 9-10-1902, p. 13. Accessed 12-14-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/anaconda-standard-sep-10-1902-p-13/
Anaconda Standard, MT. “Many Known to Have Perished.” 9-14-1902, p. 1. Accessed 11-25-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/montana/anaconda/anaconda-standard/1902/09-14?tag
Associated Press. “Forest Fires. Causing Great Damage in Loss of Timber and Sheep.” The Sun, Lowell, MA, 9-9-1902, p. 2. Accessed 12-14-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lowell-sun-sep-09-1902-p-10/
Bartlett, Max. “Some of the Worst Fires in Northwest History.” Northwest Public Radio, 7-21-2017. Accessed 12-14-2017 at: http://nwpr.org/post/some-worst-fires-northwest-history
Bradford Daily, PA. “Along Lewis River.” 9-16-1902, p. 1. Accessed 12-14-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/bradford-era-sep-16-1902-p-1/
Caldbick, John. “Yacolt — Thumbnail History.” HistoryLink.org. 3-14-2010. Accessed 11-25-2016 at: http://www.historylink.org/File/9329
Centralia Daily Sentinel, IL. “Abating in Washington.” 9-18-1902, p. 1. Accessed 11-26-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/illinois/centralia/centralia-daily-sentinel/1902/09-18?tag
Chicago Tribune. “Fires Rage in Mountains. Forests of Northwest Ablaze and Towns Endangered.” 9-13-1902, p. 3. Accessed 11-26-2016 at: http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1902/09/13/page/3/article/fires-rage-in-mountains
Courier-Herald (Don Brunell), Enumclaw, WA. “When forests become the ‘big polluters’.” 7-10-2015. Accessed 11-26-2016 at: http://www.courierherald.com/business/when-forests-become-the-big-polluters-don-brunell/
Estherville Enterprise, IA. “Eleven People Die. Victims Unable to Escape from Forest Fires in Washington.” 9-17-1902. p. 2. Accessed 11-26-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/iowa/estherville/estherville-enterprise/1902/09-17/page-2?tag
Estherville Enterprise, IA. “Fleeing For Safety. Trainloads of Refugees Arriving at Elma, Wash.” 9-17-1902. p. 2. Accessed 11-26-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/iowa/estherville/estherville-enterprise/1902/09-17/page-2?tag
Estherville Enterprise, IA. “Two Boys Perish. Over Three Hundred People Homeless as Result of Forest Fires.” 9-17-1902. p. 2. Accessed 11-26-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/iowa/estherville/estherville-enterprise/1902/09-17/page-2?tag
Fort Wayne Weekly Sentinel, IN. “Great Area Fireswept.” 9-17-1902, p. 13. Accessed 11-26-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/indiana/fort-wayne/fort-wayne-weekly-sentinel/1902/09-17/page-20?tag
Fort Wayne Weekly Sentinel, IN. “Sweep of Flames Leaves Trail of Ruin in Washington and Oregon.” 9-17-1902, p. 13. Accessed 11-26-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/indiana/fort-wayne/fort-wayne-weekly-sentinel/1902/09-17/page-20?tag
Helena Independent, MT. “Farmers Burned Out. Damage Done in Oregon Will Reach a Large Figure.” 9-14-1902, p. 1. Accessed 11-25-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/montana/helena/helena-independent/1902/09-14?tag
Helena Independent, MT. “The Experience of One Fire Fighter.” 9-14-1902, p. 1. Accessed 11-25-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/montana/helena/helena-independent/1902/09-14?tag
Helena Independent, MT. “The Olympia District. Loss is Enormous But the Worst is Over.” 9-14-1902, p. 1. Accessed 11-25-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/montana/helena/helena-independent/1902/09-14?tag
McClure, Rick. “Washington’s ‘Awful Conflagration’ — The Yacolt Fire of 1902.” Fire Management Today, Vol. 65, No. 1, Winter 2005, pp. 24-27. Accessed 11-25-2016 at: http://www.wildfirelessons.net/HigherLogic/System/DownloadDocumentFile.ashx?DocumentFileKey=64f6afb2-dac6-402d-a00c-62b9b5573d2f
National Interagency Fire Center. Frequently Asked Questions. Boise, ID: NIFC. Accessed at: http://www.nifc.gov/faq.html#history%20fires
Oakland Tribune, CA. “Pall of Smoke Hangs Over Portland.” 9-11-1902, p. 1. Accessed 12-14-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/oakland-tribune-sep-11-1902-p-1/
Pella Chronicle, Pella, IA. “Fire Raging in Forests…Two Lives Known to Have Been Lost…” 9-17-1902, p. 6. Accessed 11-25-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/iowa/pella/pella-chronicle/1902/09-17/page-6?tag
Pesanti, Dameon. “Forests: After The Big Burn.” Columbian.com. Accessed 11-25-2016 at: http://www.columbian.com/projects/2016/09/25/after-the-big-burn/
San Francisco Call. “Fire Losses Will Amount to Millions.” 9-14-1902, p. 23. Accessed 11-26-2016 at: http://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SFC19020914.2.60
Scott, Douglas. “Remembering the 1902 Yacolt Burn.” Clark County Talk, WA. Accessed 12-14-2017 at: http://clarkcountytalk.com/2017/07/24/yacolt-burn-history/
Smalley, James C. (Ed.). Protecting Life and Property from Wildfire. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, 2005. Partially digitized by Google at: http://books.google.com/books?id=2913l73SEAUC&dq=Wildfire+1910&source=gbs_navlinks_s
Sue, Darla. “Wildfire History: The Yacolt Burn Forest Fire.” Wild West Weather, 2-20-2013. Accessed 11-26-2016 at: http://www.wildwestweather.com/2013/02/20/wildfire-history-the-yacolt-burn-forest-fire/
Sullivan, William L. Oregon’s Greatest Natural Disasters. Eugene, OR: Navillus Press, 2008.
Tyrone Daily Herald, Tyrone, PA. “Hundreds Perished. List of Forest Fire Victims in Oregon and Washington Growing.” 9-17-1902, p. 1. Accessed 11-26-2016 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/pennsylvania/tyrone/tyrone-daily-herald/1902/09-17?tag
Wilma, David. “Yacolt Burn, largest forest fire in recorded Washington history to that point, rages for three days beginning September 11, 1902.” HistoryLing.org Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History. 2-14-2003. Accessed 12-14-2017 at: http://www.historylink.org/File/5196
[1] “The list of fire victims in Oregon and Washington number hundreds. In the vicinity of Kalama, Wash., 38 bodies have been found and around Vancouver, Wash., 16 are reported. In other districts the loss is proportionately heavy, while stories of farmers, woodsmen and campers missing are told.”
[2] If sources are to be believed when writing about deaths by State, we see 3 deaths in OR and 55 in WA — thus 58 deaths for the low end of a fatality range. Two sources, one NW NPR, write of 65 total deaths in the two states. In the presumption that these sources know something I do not, I use 65 as the high end of the range.
[3] We note that a press report of the time shows the figure of 38 deaths for the Kalama area of Cowlitz County, the same number appearing many years later as the death toll for WA and OR combined, causing us to wonder if the earlier figure was misunderstood and then took on a live of its own.
[4] Cites: S. H. Holbrook. Burning an Empire: The story of American Forest Fires. NY: The MacMillan Co., 1945.
[5] “Yacolt Burn, 1,000,000 acres in the Cascades, mostly on…Washington side of…Columbia River. Lives lost: 38.”
[6] “Although it is estimated 35 people died, the true death toll will never be known.”
[7] “In Oregon, as far as reported, only two lives have been lost. Twenty lives have been lost….during the past week by forest fires in Oregon and Washington. Many more people are missing….”
[8] Chicago Tribune. “Fires Rage in Mountains. Forests of Northwest Ablaze and Towns Endangered.” 9-13-1902, p. 3; Pella Chronicle, Pella, IA. “Fire Raging in Forests…Two Lives Known to Have Been Lost…” 9-17-1902, p. 6.
[9] Pella Chronicle, Pella, IA. “Fire Raging in Forests…Two Lives Known to Have Been Lost…” 9-17-1902, p. 6. Highlighted in yellow to denote we do not use in our tally — too ambiguous.
[10] Estherville Enterprise, IA. “Eleven People Die. Victims Unable to Escape from Forest Fires…” 9-17-1902. p. 2.
[11] Mount St. Helens is in Skamania County, WA.
[12] “In a single week in September 1902, the Yacolt Burn engulfed more than a half million acres and killed 56 people in the Columbia River Gorge and around Mt. St. Helens.” (Perhaps this included one or more OR deaths.)
[13] If 16 people did die in Clark County, 38 in Cowlitz County and 1 in King, then the total fatality would be 55.
[14] San Francisco Call. “Fire Losses Will Amount to Millions.” 9-14-1902, p. 23.
[15] Fort Wayne Weekly Sentinel, IN. “Sweep of Flames Leaves Trail of Ruin in Washington…” 9-17-1902, p. 13.
[16] South of Kalama, Lewis River runs east to west (~9 miles from Kalama to Woodland on the Lewis, to the SE).
[17] Anaconda Standard. “Many Known to Have Perished.” 9-14-1902, 1; Estherville Enterprise, IA. “Eleven People Die. Victims Unable to Escape from Forest Fires in Washington.” 9-17-1902. p. 2.
[18] “At Enumclaw Mrs. Biles was driven from home with her dead baby in her arms while her husband was out fighting fire.” (Fort Wayne Weekly Sentinel, IN. “Great Area Fireswept.” 9-17-1902, p. 13.)
[19] Chehalis is a town in Lewis county.